Buster Poseygot his record-setting $6.2 million deal. Now the real work begins.

The Giants said Posey, the fifth overall pick in the June draft, will spend a few days in the Arizona rookie league, then get reassigned. It's expected he'll go to Salem-Keizer of the Northwest League. Either way, he won't spend much time in pro ball this year. Salem-Keizer's season ends Sept. 3.

Two years ago, another highly touted college player selected by the Giants began his pro career, but Tim Lincecumgot a head start. He signed June 30, 2006, and made eight starts - two at Salem-Keizer, six at Class A San Jose.

Lincecum went a combined 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA, setting the tone for 2007, when he got an invitation to the Giants' spring training camp and tore up the Pacific Coast League (4-0, 0.29 ERA, five starts). By May, he was in the big leagues.

"Part of my contract was getting invited to spring training, but it's not like I earned it," Lincecum said. "I still had to prove myself."

Posey's contract does not guarantee an invite to spring training. But with his signing bonus three times bigger than Lincecum's $2.025 million, it's likely the Giants will want him there.

Posey's new teammates will include players who received no signing bonus. Asked if some minor-leaguers treated him differently because of the money, Lincecum said, "A lot of guys will judge you by that and not see the real person."

Lincecum said he tried to make sure the money wasn't an issue, saying, "A lot of signing bonuses come because of what you did in college. Once you get the signing bonus, what you did in college doesn't mean anything. You've got to prove yourself all over again."

Lincecum said he didn't put pressure on himself. "The expectations were mine, not anyone else's," he said.

He didn't hear about Posey's bonus - the largest in draft history - until told by a reporter before Saturday's game. If Posey reaches the majors and catches Lincecum, it would be an all-Golden Spikes award battery.

"That would be cool," Lincecum said.

Briefly: Matt Cainhas lasted 13 starts without surrendering a home run, the longest streak in the majors since Tim Hudson's 13-game homerless string in 2004, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last Giant to go 13 starts without giving up a homer was Mike LaCoss in 1989. ... The Giants don't consider Lincecum's bruised right leg an issue. Five days after a liner to the knee area ended his last start, he'll be on a normal pitch count today. There's no plan to shut him down before season's end, as in 2007, according to pitching coach Dave Righetti.